


The Inkwell

by Kaiisan



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gajeel is a college student, Gajeel is a dork, Levy is older than Gajeel, Levy runs a bookshop, Realistic relationship build up, Slow Build, bookshop au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 08:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5961340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiisan/pseuds/Kaiisan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was calm and mature; she owned her own bookshop. He was awkward and rough around the edges; he was captivated by her from the very beginning. It started with his search for cat books. Their story continues from there..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crazy Cat Man

**Author's Note:**

> If you recognise this story, I had previously uploaded it to FF.net, however the website was severely hacked and all my works (as well as every other user's works on FF) were stolen and copied. I refuse to update my works to that website anymore.

**In which Levy owns a book shop and Gajeel doesn't know how to look after cats.**

The Inkwell was Levy McGarden's small slice of paradise in a mundane world.

Located off-the-beaten-track, down a side street from the main hustle and bustle of Magnolia City, this tiny bookshop thrived silently on its loyal customers and enthusiastic book lovers like herself.

The owner, Levy, was a twenty-five-year-old, five-foot-two woman of slender build and had a head of shocking blue hair; reminiscent of her wilder days that she was reluctant to let go of. Her hazel eyes were shielded by the red glasses resting delicately on her small nose. Today's choice of a green headband, a dark green dress that was actually just a giant sweater, a black long-sleeved shirt underneath and black tights on green flats stood out against the golden woodwork of the shelving that surrounded her.

The shop itself wasn't so much of a shop as it was a paying library. Books could be rented out on a trial of 1-3 days in which you paid to keep it for a few days; if you like that book you pay the remaining price for it, if you don't...well, you didn't pay the full price anyway. 

There were also several tables and comfy chairs scattered here or there amongst the books, where a few regulars sat and had conversations with other patrons and Levy herself. She even served tea during the lunch hours of the day, and hot chocolates in the colder mornings of winter. Muted music played gently in the background. 

Today was one such rainy morning, and whilst Levy sat bored out of her mind in a practically empty shop, the door crashed open with an unusual force, bringing in the harsh wind and rain from outside.

The man who entered was soaked to the bone, but seemed unaffected by it. He look fearsome enough in the black skinny jeans, chunky black boots and thick leather jacket; though oddly enough his long black hair made him look younger.  
Well, it was in a ponytail.

Squeezing the access water out of his long mane, the man grumbled under his breath for several minutes whilst Levy observed him unabashedly, no longer frightened by his appearance. Judging by his bag's logo, he was a student at the local college.

"Hello!" She called out cheerfully, startling the - apparently younger - man. Red eyes met hers briefly before the grumbling student shook himself out like an untrained dog, splattering the nearby areas. Levy glared at him, "Oi! You have to buy any books you damage, yaknow?"

"Gotcha," the tall, mysterious person muttered with a sarcastic eyeroll. With that, he turned away from her and strolled down one of the aisles of books available.

He wasn't seen again for another hour. Once he'd finally returned into view, Levy was surprised at the amount of books he was carrying.

And they were all about cats. Looking after cats. Feeding cats. Toys cats like. The list goes on.

He dropped them unceremoniously onto the counter and growled out a quiet "Don't look at me like that."

Levy's jaw clicked shut as she fought to contain her laughter. This six-foot-something college delinquent was looking for books on cats this whole time?

"Are you buying or renting these out?" she asked carefully. At his confused look, she added: "You can rent these out for 25% of the total price, then buy the ones you want to keep and return the rest in three days. Or buy them at full price. If you don't return them from rent after three days you get sent a fine."

"Runnin' a hard deal here, eh?" He muttered with a smirk before fishing his wallet out of his back pocket. "I'll buy 'em."

Levy grinned cheekily back at him. "Go hard or go home, I say. Nine pounds forty-five, please."

He pulled a tenner out and handed it over, which was the exact moment Levy decided to ask.

"So, why all the cat books? Gonna be the first Crazy Cat Man?"

A snort of amusement followed, then a reply. "Of course. It's an original idea goin' viral." He collected the change from her hand, brushing fingertips with the blunette softly before pocketing the coins. "On a sidenote, I've recently acquired a kitten from a friend who can't find anyone to look after him. And I know fuck all about cats, so..." he shrugged. "Guess I gotta start somewhere."

"Fair play," Levy smiled up at him as she folded his receipt and placed it inside the carrier bag along with the dark-haired man's purchases. "Let me know how it goes sometime."

"For that, I'll have to know yer name at least." Gajeel smirked at her cheekily, and suddenly Levy realised she had been flirting with him, the whole time.

"L-Levy McGarden," stammering out her name with a blush, she met his eyes with hesitantly and asked, "and your name?"

"Gajeel Redfox, at yer service." Grinning, the taller person packed the books away in his bag and lifted his hand up in a farewell pose, turning to leave again. "See ya around sometime!"

Levy smiled.

* * *

  
Two weeks later, the door to the bookshop crashed open again, startling Levy out of the book she was reading. Looking up, her eyes widened at the sight.

  
Gajeel Redfox, this tall, well-muscled and frankly dangerous looking man, stood in front of her again; as desheveled as before, though this time he seemed to have something in his coat.

"Look!"

Grinning so boyishly Levy would have thought impossible of him, he pulled out a tiny black kitten with a scar on its eye, holding it in front of the blunette proudly.

"Is this..... your cat?" Levy asked carefully, setting down the book she was holding.

"Uhuh," nodding, Gajeel started cuddling the tiny thing to his cheek, to which the kitten complained but didn't move to scratch him.

Levy smiled at the view in front of her. "What's his name?"

"Pantherlily."

Levy's eyebrows raised, but didn't comment. Watching the suddenly boyish college student in front of her, she smiled gently at the thought of having a new regular to talk to.

She had a feeling she'd see him more often, anyway.


	2. Pumpkin Spice Latte

**Pumpkin Spice Latte**

"You serve tea in here?" Gajeel asked suddenly, not looking up from the book he was 'reading'.

Said man was currently sat cross-legged on the floor behind her L-shaped mahogany desk, hidden from sight due to its admittedly large structure. He sat there on most days, and Levy had begun to assume he was skipping classes in order to sit here with her. Next to him, the blunette swivelled side to side in her cushioned deskchair with the use of one shoeless foot on the counter next to the till. There was a small basket under the desk where, on the occasions when Gajeel brought his cat, Lily would sleep in a pile of scarves that Levy kept in case the heating broke; which happened every once in a while.

"During the lunch hours, yeah," Levy murmured, flicking to the next page of her magazine. Todays outfit consisted of black and purple tank tops, a thick white wool cardigan which was falling slightly off one shoulder, thick grey leggings with a snowy pattern from the knees down, and plain grey socks. Instead of a bandana or ribbon, Levy had worn a black woolly hat to the shop, and so her fringe was a loose mess on her face, the rest of her hair in an untidy side ponytail over her left shoulder. Her usual red glasses were perched on her nose.

"How much for one? I can't seem to warm up,"

"First one's on the house if you tell me how old you are,"

Gajeel smirked. "Yer still on about that? What ya worryin' for?"

"Wondering whether or not it's illegial for me to hide you away from the classes you're obviously skipping." Levy rolled her eyes at him with a grin of her own. "Want to be sure I get my statement just right."

Gajeel snorted at the remark, then seemed to think about it.

"I'll tell you my age if you tell me yours,"

"I don't need you calling me old lady names, or worse. Besides, you're getting free tea out of telling me."

"Tch, fine. I'm nineteen." He threw her a cheeky grin and a wink. "Definitely legal."

Blushing at the horribly obvious flirt, Levy laughed loudly to cover the sound of her heart beating far too noisily for its own good. Getting to her feet and leaving her magazine on the desk, she slipped her feet into the fluffy slippers she kept in the shop and trudged lazily through the beaded door curtain that lead to the backroom. Spare copies of books littered the bookshelves in here, as well as a small counter with a sink and a kettle next to it filled the room. She opened a cabinet door and called out what was available.

"Ginseng, Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, Green Tea, Earl Grey, Nettle, or plain ol' black tea."

"Which do you recommend?"

"Depends how adventurous you're feeling."

"Like, five?"

"Out of ten?"

"Yeah,"

"Peppermint, then."

There was a grunting noise, then silence. Levy grabbed a packet of peppermint for Gajeel and plain for herself, then boiled the kettle.

"Ya gonna tell me yer age then?" An amused grumble called from a few feet away. Levy sat herself on the stool by the counter, getting her phone from her cardigan pocket.

"Nope," popping the 'p', she flicked away a friend request from a guy called Dan Straight, then tapped on the new message from her friend, Lucy, who was a well-established author despite only being 26-years-old. In fact, Levy had several of her friend's best sellers in stock in her shop, and they sold out frequently.

The blonde girl in question was asking if 'Crazy Cat Guy' was there again. Giggling to herself, Levy tapped out a reply, certain that if Gajeel ever found out her nickname for him to her friends he would stopped visiting her completely.

The kettle clicked, alerting the petite woman to it being done and she put her phone away, pouring hot water into both cups. Stirring and pressing the peppermint one first, she took out the little teabag and dumped it in the bin next to the counter, then stirred, pressed and dumped her own teabag. From the cabinet she opened the mini fridge inside and grabbed the carton of milk, pouring some into her cup. Returning it, she grabbed the sugar and spooned several heaps in with a gentle stir and close the cabinet. Keeping the spoon on her saucer, she grabbed both drinks and walked carefully backwards out the backroom, turning only once she was out of the beads.

"One peppermint tea," she annouced, handing it over to the long-haired student. Settling into her chair with her feet tucked underneath her, she sipped her sweetened drink appreciatively as she watched Gajeel hesitantly sniff his own.

Nose wrinkling, carefully blowing at the steam, hesitating lips.

Taking a small sip after a few moments, the teen seemed surprised. "S'good."

Smiling, Levy told him, "Peppermint's good for waking up. So drink it on the way to your morning classes or something."

"Ahh," Gajeel nodded, seemingly interested, if only a little. "What's yours do?"

"It's an antioxidant,"

"That's...er..great?" His confused look was one she'd begun to see often when she used big words on him.

"It has a kind of...healing effect, so to say," she simplified. Gajeel shrugged and went back to sipping his own tea.

"Is it yer favourite?" Abruptly asking another question as usual, Levy thought.

"I like it as my usual one, yeah. But I like hot chocolates and coffee too, as long as it isn't plain coffee."

"So ya like all that fancy mumbo-jumbo the coffee shops round 'ere sell?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Sometimes," she stuck her tongue at him playfully. "I'm not too old as to not enjoy such things."

"Dammit, Shortstuff, just tell me how old ya are already!" Gajeel groaned, knocking his head against the desk in frustration.

"Hmm, you seem really anxious to know," Levy grinned, amused. She gasped when his head suddenly shipped around towards her and he had a gentle expression on his face.

"Please.... tell me?"

Rolling her eyes, she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Fine. You win. I'm..... twenty-five."

Having a sip of his tea at that precise moment was not very well thought out, and the long-haired boy nearly choked. "S-six years older than me?!"

"You seem surprised," the smaller woman drawled sarcastically. "I wonder why."

"Well, it's just..." Gajeel mumbled into his cup, refusing to meet her gaze. "Ya look really young, yaknow? Younger than twenty-five, anyway."

Levy blushed. Heavens above, this boy was adorable sometimes.

"And also, yer really, really short, so-"

"Get out right now Gajeel Redfox or I swear to God-"

"Gihihihi! Catch ya later Shrimpy!"

Sometimes.

* * *

  
Three days later, Levy had a sense of deja vu as the door crashed open again. This time, the customer was not carrying a cat in his coat - thankfully; in this weather she'd have killed him for dragging his poor cat along - but rather, a branded styrofoam cup of coffee.

"Here," He set the cup down. It was branded with the logo of a coffee shop she'd heard Lucy mention as her 'lifesaver' often enough, so cautiously she picked it up and sniffed it. It smelled wonderfully sweet and had a nice spice to it too.

"What's this?" She asked quietly. Looking up at her regular stowaway client, she noticed him shuffling awkwardly on his feet as he looked anywhere but at her.

"Pumpkin Spice Latte, or some shit like that. The barista said that chicks seem to dig it, and it's the season's special, so I thought...." he cleared his throat. "Yaknow.. cause I made you tell me yer age when ya didn't wanna, and then I pissed you off.... ya mentioned ya liked them sometimes, so I just..." he kicked at the carpet and shrugged. "Tell me if you like it?"

Levy hid her smile behind the cup, but she was sure that if he looked at her he would see it straight away. Greatfully she took a long sip of the quickly cooling beverage, holding back a moan at the delicious taste that quenched her thirst.

"It's delicious, thank you, Gajeel." She beamed at him happily, and he smiled back.

There was a moment of silence before Gajeel glanced at the clock hanging up on the wall behind the desk. Cursing, he turned his gaze back onto the blunette.

"I gotta go, there's a class I actually like goin' to in ten minutes and I don't wanna be late," he ran for the door, swung it open, then stopped.

"Hey, Shorty!" he called, gathering her -annoyed- attention. "Six years isn't that much of a difference, I won't mind it if you won't!"

Giving her a cocky smirk and a wave, he dashed out the door and down the street, passing by red-faced pedestrians and leaving an equally red-faced book shop owner behind.


	3. Lucy

  
Since the recent publishing of her newest book, Levy's closest friend Lucy had been visiting her often, checking on the sales of her book from the blunette's shop. It was a warm welcome to the admittedly boring days of the week where the majority of her customers during this time were little deaf ladies. Of course, Levy loved all her customers, but after pouring them tea and exchanging pleasantries, she didn't have much in common with her usual patrons. Only occasionally she'd have kids and their parents come in, as well as teens looking for cheap learning material.

Seeing Lucy more often simply made the quiet hours pass quicker. Her friend was tall, curvacious and very beautiful, with long blonde hair and big brown eyes. She didn't look a day over twenty, another feature that was loved by her male audience. And despite all femininity, her stories were all fantasy and adventure stories, tales of dragons and magic rather than the fluffy love stories people often percieved her to write.

Said blonde was currently sat in Levy's chair, complaining about everyone and their mother.

"How can you stand being in here all day, every day?" Lucy sighed for the fifth time that hour. "It's driving me crazy already and I've only been here two hours!"

"I'm used to this sort of quiet," Levy smiled at her energetic friend. "Plus I can read all day long, life can't get any better than this."

"You need a man," Lucy concluded, nodding her head firmly. "When was the last time you made out with someone?"

"Luce!" Levy gasped, hand flying to mouth as she looked around. "That's not something to discuss in a public place!"

"Levy, we are literally the only two people in here right now," deadpanned Lucy in reply. It was true, there was no-one in sight and nobody had come into the shop in the space of time since Lucy did.

"What about Crazy Cat Man? What's he like?" Lucy mused.

"He's just a regular customer, there isn't much to know." Levy shrugged off the question, for some reason she wasn't ready to devulge her steadily growing relationship with Gajeel to her friend, not when there wasn't anything other than wordplay going on.

"Is he really obssessed with cats?" queried Lucy.

"Just his own," the blunette informed her. "And to be fair, it's adorable so it's completely justified."

"Well, I don't think that type'll suit you anyway," Lucy sniffed dismissively, much to the amusement of Levy. If only she knew, Levy thought.

"Levy, when was the last time you kissed someone?" Lucy inquired, leaning forward eagerly. Levy, sat with one leg over the other on the desk as she leaned back on her hands, shuffled as far back as she could from her overly-curious friend.

"I-I can't remember something so trivial, Luce! It's not important, anyway."

"Fine. How about sex?"

"Lucy!"

Giggling loudly, Lucy rolled her eyes. "Are you saying you haven't done it? Lev, you're twenty-five."

"S-shut up," Levy protested weakly. "You know I want to wait."

"I know, I was just teasing," Lucy assured, waving a hand dismissively. "But when was your last relationship? The last person I remember was-"

"We don't need to talk about him!"

"Talk about who?" interrupted a new voice.

Jumping in fright, both girls turned their attention to the new person in the conversation. There in all his glory, stood Gajeel; wearing a black, fur-lined leather jacket, a hoodie underneath and scuffed jeans and boots, with a new feature of a dark red beanie, meaning he was wearing his hair down and Levy could see it was fairly long, several inches past his collar bones at least. As he stood there, a slight frown on his face, Levy had a good view of the piercings along his eyebrows and nose. She hadn't really noticed them before, but now that she had she realised they suited him.

Lucy seemed very surprised to see Gajeel too, which was odd. At that second Gajeel spotted her too and had a double take.

**"YOU!?"**

Both of them pointed at each other at the same time.

"You two know each other?" Levy blurted out in surprise. This snapped Gajeel out of whatever trance he was in, since his face started going a little red.

"Nope, not at all." Gajeel croaked out quickly with a cough.

"We bumped into each other before," Lucy informed the curious blunette.

"No we didn't!" the long-haired teen denied hotly with a scowl.

"Yes we did~" Lucy sang, a mischievous grin on her face suddenly forming.

Eyes flickering between the two, Levy wondered what the heck was going on.

"We shall never speak of this!" Pointing at Lucy fiercely, Gajeel growled in a confused manner, before stomping back out of the shop. Levy could see his cheeks were red as he glared at the blonde through the window whilst walking away.

"I think you embarrassed him," Levy informed her giggling best friend.

"Ahh well, I couldn't help it, he was so adorable." Lucy admitted.

Levy frowned. "You bumped into him and he was adorable?"

"Well, I was in that coffee shop, you know, the one I call my 'life-savers'?" Levy nodded. "And he was stood in front of me in the queue. On his turn he stood there forever, muttering and mumbling about not knowing anything about coffee. He was holding everyone up but he kept arguing with the lady at the till about the most recommended coffee. It seemed like he was buying it for his crush, or something; it was just really cute."

Levy laughed at that; she could imagine the situation in her mind. At the same time though, the thought of him putting in so much effort just to get her a cup of coffee made her blush a little.

Lucy noticed her friend go silent. "Lev? Who was that guy anyway?" Lucy winked exaggeratedly. "Your secret lover, perhaps? He was kinda attractive, in that punk way."

"Well...." Levy bit her lip to stop herself from smirking, thinking of how Lucy will react. "Actually, that was 'Crazy Cat Man'."

Lucy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, blinking up owlishly at her grinning friend.

"Eeehhh?!"

* * *

 

"So Blondie's yer friend from high school," Gajeel muttered, sitting in his usual spot next to Levy's chair. It was a few days since the two most interesting people currently in Levy's life had run into each other.

"Mhmm," Levy hummed.

"Well, that's just great," Gajeel sighed. "I'm gonna end up seein' more of her, aren't I?"

"Well, if you keep hanging around, sure." Levy shrugged off the uncomfortable thought of not having the usual company of this quirky dark-haired teen.

"Why wouldn't I keep comin' by?" Gajeel questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"W-well, if Lucy makes you uncomfortable-"

"Well, yeah she does," Gajeel broke in, "but just 'cause she saw me doin' somethin' embarrassing. But I'll get over that. Somethin' as insignificant as that won't stop me from seein' ya." Wrapping his arms around his knees, Gajeel hid his face in the crook of his arms, though Levy could still see the redness of his cheeks.  
Blushing profusely, Levy couldn't hide her beaming smile even if she tried.

* * *

 

"Blondie," Gajeel greeted stiffly as the young author entered the shop.

".....Crazy Cat Man.." Lucy replied.

"What-?"

"Lucy! You weren't supposed to tell him!" Levy cried. Gajeel stood there in silent shock. Blondie called me a crazy cat man.

"What? You never told me his name! What else am I supposed to call him?" Lucy yelled back.

Gajeel still stood motionless.

"Crazy...cat man...."


	4. Horrific Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was written as a Special for Halloween, enjoy.

"Yer cheerful," Gajeel murmured as he observed Levy rushing back and forth, hanging up Halloween decorations. She had orange, pumpkin-shaped paper banners and black, bat-shaped paper banners which were slowly but surely being taped up around the book store. She also had lamenated cut-outs of cartoons witches, black cats, zombies and vampires.

"Halloween's nearly here, Gajeel!" Levy chirped happily in reply, shoving some white mesh into his chest. "Hang up some spider webs, please?"

"Aren't girls supposed to be scared of Halloween?" Gajeel grumbled under his breath. Levy smirked at him, and suddenly he felt himself shivering.

"Oh Gajeel," she sighed, "You've yet to learn something very important about me.....I love horror." At his slightly worried face, Levy chuckled to herself. "I really love horror. Blood, gore, violence! All of these are the best qualities in a good story. The terror of dying an unpleasant death, the agony of broken bones, feeling the anguish coming off the characters in waves....fufufu..."

Gajeel started backing away.

"Y-yeah, so, those spider webs-" He ran.

Giggling, Levy's face returned to normal and she carried on her preparations.

"Oh yeah, Gajeel!" she called out to the dark haired teen, who appeared warily from behind some bookshelves. "My brothers will be visiting for a few days for Halloween, so stop by if you want to meet them too."

Gajeel frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "You have brothers?" In his mind, he pictured short, skinny, blue-haired brats.

"Yep. Their names are Jet, who's twenty-eight, and Droy, who's twenty-seven." Levy smiled. "And before you ask, they're average height for adults."

Gajeel snorted, relaxing once again now that Levy's scary aura had fully disappeared.

The door jingled as a regular customer entered the shop.

"Oh! Miss McGarden, you've done a wonderful job again this year." The frail-looking lady smiled gently at the blunette.

"Why thank you, Mrs Applefield! Here, let me walk you to your usual seat, and I'll get you a nice hot chocolate with whipped cream, how does that sound?" Smiling, Levy guided the woman to her seat, chattering on about this and that. By the time she went to the back room, she found Gajeel was already there, the kettle was boiling and he was sat looking at her phone, which she'd forgotten about.

"Oi! That's mine, brat!" She exclaimed, reaching out to snatch it away. With her advantage of surprise, she managed to snag it before he stood up.

"Brat?" Gajeel smirked. "I thought we weren't allowed to use age-related pet names?"

"You can't," Levy quipped back. "I never said I couldn't."

Grunting, Gajeel shrugged. "Who's Dan Straight?"

"You looked at my Facebook! Rude brat!" At the she recieved a hard poke in her side, causing her to jump in shock. "Gah! I don't know! He keeps adding me!"

"Block him, right now. He should get the hint then." advised the long-haired teen. At the silent response, he noticed she was staring at him intently. "What?"

"Are you jealous?" Levy asked curiously. She made her eyes widen in an innocent manner, to which Gajeel fell prey to and began to stutter.

"N-no! It's just those creeps will stalk you until they find you and kidnap you!"

"Are you saying you're worried about my safety, then?"

"NO! I-I mean, yeah, but- yer makin' fun of me now, aren't ya?"

At her mischievious giggle, Gajeel groaned and left the back room. "You. Are. Impossible."

"Deal with it."

"I'd rather not. I've got a thing at college in an hour, and I have to meet up with a classmate beforehand, so I'll catch ya later."

"Ah.. okay. Bye bye," With a small wave, Levy watched him disappear before making the hot drink for her customer.

* * *

  
A few days later......

Gajeel was halfway through town, with music blasting in his ears, when he noticed two people who were standing around awkwardly. Taking a good look at them, he realised they seemed to be lost.

One of them, a tall, lanky man with orange hair pulled back into a ponytail, was yelling into the phone glued into his ear, whilst at the same time smacking the man next to him and pointing around. His actions made the other man, a chubby fellow with short black hair, cry out in protest whilst he stuffed his face in a packet of crisps. For some reason, Gajeel felt obliged to help them.

"Oi," he grunted, taking his headphones out. "Ya lost?"

The two men looked half scared to death. To be fair, it was quite dark out at 6pm at this time of year, plus it was Halloween day.

"I-Inkwell...it's c-called The Inkwell!" the orange-haired guy stammered out.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "The bookshop run by the shorty?"

"Yes! That's the bookshop our precious little sister owns!" the fatty wailed, producing a burger out of nowhere and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Ah, so you're Jet and Droy...." Gajeel muttered under his breath.

"Ah, yeah! I'm Jet McGarden and this is Droy, my brother." The lanky guy pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Do you know our sister?" Looking the obviously taller teenager up and down, Gajeel could tell he was trying to be threatening.

"Yeah I do. We hang out." On second thought, he added, "My name's Gajeel Redfox. Please to meet you, Levy's brothers."

"Hmm," Jet pondered with a small smirk. "You're polite when ya want to be. I kinda like you."

"H-hang out! Levy-chan would hang out with someone like you and not us?!" Droy bawled.

"I'm obviously the less annoyin' choice by the looks of it..." rolling his eyes, he started walking down the street. "Hurry up, I'll take ya there. Was headin' there anyways."

For the entire way there, Gajeel learned several new things about Levy and her brothers.

One; Levy and her brothers are of Japanese heritage and all had naturally black hair, though Jet dyed his in highschool for popularity and Levy dyed hers during her 'rebellious' phase in college and stuck with it. Droy lacked the courage and decided not to.

Two; their parent's were very sick when they were young and passed away when they were ten, nine and seven respectively. Levy spent most of her childhood looking after her brothers, to which developed into the third thing Gajeel found out.

Jet and Droy had a sister complex.

They talked non-stop about her, from how she was as a baby to the way her voice sounds on the phone when they call each other every month. The two of them were happy enough to devulge information on her (other than embarrassing things of course!) so Gajeel went along with it quietly enough. It meant he could learn more about her and get along with her brothers, even if they were yet to realise his intentions.

When they reached the book shop, the main lights were off in the main room and a strange green light was coming from the back room. As Gajeel warily pushed the door open, a misty grey fog drifted out of the doorway around his feet.   
Hesitantly the three of them entered the shop properly, letting the door fall shut behind them.

"Jet-onii....Droy-onii... where are my onii-chans...I want my onii-chans..." a quiet, echoing whisper drifted out from the back room.

"Levy! Levy, are you there?" Jet called out, looking around. Droy grabbed his shoulder and pointed towards the back room.

"There! She must be in there!"

The two of them cried out simultaniously, "Levy-chan! Your onii-chans are here-"

**COME AND PLAY, ONII-CHANs...**

Bursting out from the back room, a foreboding shape appeared as an evil cackle loudly resonated through the shop from the speakers.

Standing there in ripped, doll-like clothing, was Levy, soaked in fake blood. The dress was pink and child-like, and had puffy shoulders and lace trimmings that were, unfortunately, splashed with drying blood. She wore an equally blood-soaked eyepatch that had blood dripping down her face from underneath it. There was a cut down her cheek to her neck that seemed to ooze blood. Her hair, though tied up with a pretty pink ribbon, also had dark streaks in it. She smiled up at the three men before her, a menancing grin stretching her features horrifically.

"Want to play, my dear onii-chans...?!"

 **"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"** Jet and Droy screamed, high-pitched and terrified for their lives. They ran straight out of the shop again and down the street, crying uncontrollably.

Giggling like a school girl, Levy moved past a frozen Gajeel and flicked the lights back on, turning off the fog machine as she returned behind her desk.

"Gajeel.... you okay in there?" she waved her hand in front of his face.

"I...er...what?" Shaking his head, he frantically tried to erase the haunting image from his mind.

"Did you like my prank?" she cradled her un-bloodied cheek innocently with one hand.

"Prank? Ya mean ya do this all the time?"

"Yep. Every year. Especially when we all lived together. October was my time to shine!" Her eyes darken as she frowned suddenly. "The only time I can fully get my revenge for their annoying sister-complex..."

"Ahh, so ya know about that?"

"How could I not? It's endearing some of the time, but this was every day! I can't handle it all day, every day, yaknow?

"I only had to put up with it for a few minutes, but I get what ya mean."

"Oh? Did you meet them on your way here?"

"Yeah, they were lost."

"Typical brothers." Smiling gently, Levy sighed and untied the eye patch, murmuring to herself, "I do love them though."

"Yeah, brothers are okay." Gajeel agreed.

"Do you have any siblings, Gajeel?" Asked Levy curiously.

"A step-brother who's a couple years younger. We're not close though."

"Jet and Droy like you, I think." After washing her face off, Gajeel could see that the blunette had used wax to make the fake cut.

"That's...good?"

"Yeah. They're very protective of me, even now."

"Understandable since yer so small."

"Shut up. Brat."

"Tch!"

* * *

  
_Extra_

"Demon sister!"

"Why, Levy-chan?"

Quiet sobbing could be heard inside the quiant little bookshop, as well as a delighted giggle and a tired sigh. For the next few days, Jet and Droy used Gajeel as a human shield between themselves and Levy, and through that the three of them bonded quite well.


	5. Rboz!Bonus - White Boy Attire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired by an artist on Tumblr known as Rboz, who drew Gajeel in some pretty funny clothes. You'll find it in her Art tag on her tumblr: rboz.tumblr.com

**(Bonus Update) - White Boy Attire**  
  
On a surprisingly mild day of the winter season, Levy was sat in her little shop in just her sweater and leggings. Most of the people outside wore slightly lighter jackets than usual, and less scarves were to be seen.

It was to no surprise then, that when Gajeel arrived as per usual of a Friday morning, that he wore something other than his usual hoodie and leather jacket combo.

Suffice to say, Levy wasn't expecting him to wear a shirt so visibly egotistical.

After stripping off his zip-up hoodie, which was damp from the slight rain outside, Levy could only stare at the vanity of his shirt, which was barely a shirt to be honest. It was a sleveless shirt, and the text only exploited this feature in the most vain way possible.

"Ya like what ya see, Shorty?" Flexing with a huge smirk on his face, Gajeel proudly showed off his muscles, which, according to his shirt, was the reason why it had no sleeves.

"D'ya get it? 'I flexed and the sleeves fell off'! It's like it was made for me!"

Levy blushed, it did in fact suit him. And she previously hadn't been aware of just how physically fit Gajeel was until now. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of admitting this out loud, however.

"You've risen to a new level of vanity, Gajeel."

"Ya know ya love it."

"That's dabatable."

"Gihihi!"


	6. Dragon Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on to the regular chapters \o/

Some time after Halloween, Levy was greeted with a parculiar sight.

Specifically, two unfamiliar students from Magnolia college - again based on the logos of their bags. A young boy with purple-tinted hair and a young girl with navy blue hair in braids had their faces plastered to the window of her shop and were looking around curiously. They seemed to be unaffected by the cold in their eagerness to find whatever it was they were looking for. Behind them, across the street, stood a mildly annoyed Gajeel, nose and cheeks red as a cold wind blew past.

Wandering over to stand in front of the window, she tapped on it qently, cactching the pair's attention. She signalled them to come inside, despite the silent protests of Gajeel. Judging by the frantic head-shaking and the big X he was making with his arms, it seemed like he was against them coming into the shop.

"Can I help you?" she smiled at them as they made their way inside, glancing about as they did so. The purple-haired boy was a few inches taller than Levy herself, wearing a bright orange scarf that contrasted with his messily-dyed hair. He looked no older than sixteen. The girl looked about the same age, though she'd taken more care in her appearance, it seemed. Her hair was a dark, midnight blue, with lighter highlights blended in. Her braids were slightly messy from the wind, though they hadn't unravelled. Either way they seemed a bit too young for college.

"We're looking for a friend of ours, he hasn't been showing up to club activities lately." The girl spoke with a polite smile.

"His name's Gajeel," the purple-haired student made a motion with his hand, way above his head. "'Bout this high, frowns a lot, looks like he would bully you for your lunch money?"

"Gajeel's in a club?" Levy's eyebrows raised in surprise. She found it hard to picture the long-haired teen in a club and doing social activities.

"So you do know him?" the girl spoke up again, a hopeful look in her eyes.

Levy hesitated. "Well, I guess-"

"Hey guys! Look who I found standing around outside of here!" a third unfamiliar voice broke in, as well as the sounds of struggling and quiet grunts. The door was acidentally slammed shut in the process before all went silent.

"Gajeel!" the short-statured girl bounded over and hugged the rather annoyed-looking boy.

"Hey, Chicka."

"I hate that nickname Gajeel!" the blunette pouted, making the tall boy smirk and ruffle her hair. The third new person was another guy, slightly shorter than Gajeel but seemingly his age, or older. His hair was bright pink and he had a white, patterned scarf wrapped round his neck. He looked slightly familiar, but Levy couldn't imagine why for the life of her.

"Good afternoon, Gajeel." Levy waved awkwardly. "It seems your friends have come looking for you."

Said teen clicked his tongue and looked away. Levy could tell he was pouting, which amused her greatly.

"Yeah, he's skipped club activities a couple of times now," the pink-haired boy mentioned. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, by the way. I'm the Club President."

"I'm Romeo Conbolt," the shorter boy added.

"And I'm Wendy Marvell!" cheered the young girl with a grin.

"Hello," Levy smiled politely. "I'm the owner of The Inkwell, Levy McGarden." She paused for a second. "So, what club is this, exactly?"

"Oh yeah!" Natsu beamed, suddenly excited. "Believe it or not, we're actually a club about-"

"Dragneel!" Gajeel launched himself before the rosy-haired student could finish his sentance. He whipped around, hand on Natsu's mouth, to face Levy. "Ya know, I was plannin' on quittin' anyways, so it doesn't really matter.."

"Ehh?" Wendy gasped. "You're going to quit the club?"

"What?" Romeo's voice raised in anger. "But you're the vice-president!"

Levy's eyebrows raised. "Oh really?" she smirked, but quickly put on a sugary-sweet smile. "Why would you ever want to quit the club you're vice-president of?"

"'Cause..." Gajeel muttered. "It's embarrassin',"

"Why's that?" She quirked her head to the side curiously, watching as Gajeel's face went a funny shade of red. To the side of her, Wendy and Romeo watched too, quitely snickering and giggling.

Suddenly, Natsu used Gajeel's momentary distraction to rip the guy's hand from his mouth.

"Oh for god's sake, Gajeel!" To Levy, he grinned brightly. "We're in the Dragon Club!"

A snort of laughter escaped her lips before she could hold it in, and she slapped both hands across her mouth and nose in surprise.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, grinning under her hands. "It's just...Dragon Club?"

Evient by the annoyance palpable in Gajeel's glare towards his club president, it seemed that Gajeel found the club to be as ridiculous-sounding as she did.

"Well, it's just," Natsu started, scratching his head sheepishly. "We found this old book in the college library, ya see? And it has all sorts of dragons in it. They all have different powers and abilities, and some could even control the elements." Natsu grinned brightly. "When I told my friends about it, we all got pretty excited!"

"We each picked a specific dragon to claim as 'ours' too!" Wendy added excitedly. "I chose the aeris draconis, the air dragon! They could eat air and control it! They also had healing powers!" The girl's eyes gleamed as she gushed about her dragon.

"I'm still looking at them, I can't decide what one I like best." Romeo muttered, looking shy.

"My favourite's the flame dragon!" Natsu announced. "One of the most powerful dragons to have existed, since he controlled fire and could eat it too!"

Everyone turned to a silent Gajeel. He glared back at them.

"No."

"Don't be shy Gajeel!"

"Your dragon is pretty cool, don't be ashamed!"

"I'll tell Levy about my dragon when I feel like it." He growled out angrily, crossing his arms over his chest. Levy tried her hardest not to imagine him as a stubborn child. "Now get the hell outta here!"

Whilst Romeo and Wendy pouted, Natsu smirked a little, as if he figured something out. "Alright, we'll leave you to talk with your girlfriend then, shall we?" He batted his eyelashes innocently, throwing a wink in Levy's direction. She blushed furiously as she sputtered in surprise.

Gajeel jolted suddenly, eyes wide. "Oi! She's not my-"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. See you in the clubroom after class tomorrow, Casanova!" Natsu grabbed Romeo's scarf as he walked towards the door of the shop, who in turn grabbed Wendy's arm, and the spontaneous conga line let itself out with cheerful waves and a chorus of flirty whistles.

As the door shut, silence spread over the room as Gajeel huffed into his scarf, trying to hide his face. Levy had no such protection, so she covered her cheeks with her hands.

"Y-you don't have to tell me," she blurted out quickly. "I mean, you're not obliged to tell me, anyway."

"Nah. It's... fine." Gajeel muttered. "My dragon is made of metal...or iron, something like that. It could eat iron and stuff and turn it's scales into an iron hide... stuff like that."

"I see." Levy smiled. "It suits you."

Gajeel scoffed and rolled his eyes. "'Cause I'm that badass, right?"

Levy laughed. "Of course. Badass Gajeel of the Dragon Club."

"Hey, that's not funny."

"Oh yes it is."

"Tch."

"Hey, Gajeel?"

"What?"

"You have some good friends." Levy looked out of the window at the falling rain. "To look for you as vigilantly as they did... not everyone does that."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You should bring them here more often!"

"Hell no."

"What? Why?"

Gajeel cleared his throat and mumbled under his breath. When he noticed Levy's confused expression, he repeated:

"I like being here alone, means I have ya to myself."

Levy couldn't form any words at the very honest explanation, so she did the one thing she could think of and started striding over to Gajeel, who took her rushed steps as anger.

"Hey I'm sorry I just thought-"

"Shush, you."

Once within arm's length she grabbed his coat and pulled herself towards him, wrabbing her thin arms around his waist.

Sufficiently shocked, Gajeel's arms remained slightly raised for a moment, before relaxing enough for him to rest one hand on the petite woman's lower back and the other arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"Don't worry," Levy murmured into Gajeel's jacket softly, barely loud enough for him to hear. "You have my attention more often than not."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gajeel whispered back, ears red from the long timespan of contact.

"It means you're interesting, Vice-President Gajeel of the Dragon Club."

"Goddammit, woman."


	7. Christmas Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written in time for Christmas originally, but yeah... obviously it's a bit late here on Ao3

"Yer open on Christmas Day too?"

The question was quiet, a small murmur the broke the silence that surroundedthem in the empty shop. Levy, who was wandering from bookshelf to bookshelf and replacing the books that were out of order, simply hummed in response. Outside, the town itself seemed asleep under a blanket of snow.

"Aren't ya spendin' Christmas with yer brothers?"

"Believe it or not, but Jet has a wife," Levy smiled fondly, rearranging a couple of books on one of the lower shelves, where it appeared a child had knocked them down and hastily shoved them back. "As well as two kids; a boy, six; and a girl, four."

Done with this particular row of shelving, Levy wandered almost aimlessly into the nest aisle. Gajeel followed along silently, watching the petite woman closely.

"What about Droy?"

A small giggle escaped her lips as she smiled at some memory before her eyes. "He's been joining them every year because he gets to dress up as Santa and eat as many cookies as he wants." Grinning, she continued through the shop in this fashion, fixing and moving books here and there, the tall, brooding teen following closely like a fixated puppy. It may or may not have been due to the fact that she was still dressed like an adorable elf, who knows....

The shop had been surprisingly busy today, as it always was on this day each year. Levy, being a kind-hearted woman, always welcomed the lonely into her shop on this day, so that the people who had no-one would have someone to share the day with. Her friends had, as usual, helped out a great deal: Lucy advertised the advent at her interviews, MiraJane provided the food for the main meal at a great discount from her bistro, and Erza provided the delicious dessert treats from her bakery. Levy always found it amusing that the two rivals-since-childhood had taken nearly identical career paths in the end.

With the help of Lucy, Mira's younger sister Lisanna and Cana, who provided a barrel of mulled wine on the house from her pub, the day had gone by eventful and cheerful as they talked and laughed with the elderly men and women who came in for food and company. The whole shop was full of noises, from chatter to background music to the clinking out cutlery and dishes. Now though, the dishes have all been washed and put away, the tables have been cleaned up and the shop was closed for the day. Gajeel had arrived barely moments before the closing time at 6pm, Lucy and the others had left shortly before that.

"So you've been in here all day?" Gajeel concluded, leaning against the frame of the doorway into the back room, since the hanging beads had been taken down hours before, as they got in the way.

"Since about 11am, I think." Levy called from further inside. There was an unsettled look to Gajeel's face, though the blunette couldn't see this from where she stood. "I woke up, made pancakes, opened the presents I recieved from my brothers and friends, then came in to help with the preparations for the day." Her head popped out from the other side of the wall from him, startling him. "How did your Christmas go, Gajeel?"

Said teen grunted, shrugging. "Mum woke up late, handed Raios and I our presents, and went to work. Raios and I opened them and the presents from our dads, since we have different ones. We played a few games together and then he went off to meet his friends and I went to meet mine."

"Sounds like you had a good day then," Levy smiled warmly up at him, and before he could say what was on his mind she turned and dashed into the back room again. Sighing, the dark-haired teen rolled his eyes and wandered over to Levy's deskchair, where he slumped into a comfortable position.

A few minutes later, Gajeel heard Levy call to him.

"Hey, Gajeel, I have a present for you!"

"What? Why?" Gajeel frowned, mildly alarmed. He hadn't thought to get her anything at all!

"Here," much closer than before, Levy whirled her chair around so that Gajeel was facing her. She was still wearing her ridiculous Christmas hat with petruding elf ears, which on any other person would look comical if it wasn't for her short frame making them quite the accessory. However, she now held some above her head...

Mistletoe.

Blushing, she stammered, "J-just on the cheek! Okay?"

Nodding silently, Gajeel closed his eyes and turned his face a little to the side. He could feel his face growing hotter as her face drew closer. Then there was a soft pressure against his cheek, which instantly flushed red. Opening his eyes he turned to face her again only to jump a little at their close proximity. Levy's face was equally red, and brightened further as she watched his eyes wander to her lips.

"Ya know," Gajeel breathed out hoarsely, "yer still holdin' that thing up. And I still need to give ya a present.."

Slowly, his hand reached up to cradle where her jaw met her neckline, then with little resistance, he pulled her head towards his and in an instant their lips brushed, their eyes shut and for a moment they forgot the world around them. And then they pulled away from each other, both a little surprised and had hearts racing a hundreds miles an hour.

But despite this, neither could wipe the grins off their faces.


	8. Natsu and Lucy Meet

"Hi Lev!" Lucy called, swishing her way over to her petite friend through the morning crowd. It was New Year's Day, and surprisingly a lot of people were active already, despite the early hour. Levy waved back happily, silently admiring the blonde's choices of clothing, like most people around them. The author in question wore a fluffy, over-sized pink sweater that convieniently clung to her figure in just the right places and stopped just above her hips. Underneath she wore a white, collared blouse top, a white mini skirt with lots of frilly layers, coffee-coloured leggings and big brown winter boots that were lined with wool at the top. Her cream-coloured woolly hat and fake brown glasses helped disguise her, since many knew that this famous author lived in this town.

"Hey, Lu-chan." The blunette stood up to hug her friend as she reached her table and they sat again to look at the menu. They already knew what they were going to order; after all, Mira's Bistro was the only restuarant they'd go to in the years it'd been open. MiraJane made the finest food at the best prices and people from neighbouring towns and cities even came here to try it. Normally, as friends of the owner herself, Levy and the gang sat in a slightly sectioned off area that is usually kept open for them, however with it being just the two of them today they sat at a small corner table by the front windows instead.

"When's your next book-signing tour happening? Make sure to make one of the stops at my place," Levy teased happily.

Lucy shrugged back, setting the menu down. "I'm not sure. Some time this month I guess, since the book finally published a couple months ago."

"Ah, well let me know then. I'll have Asuka make some posters for the occasion like last time."

"Awh, I miss Asuka. And Alzack and Bisca. How old's Asuka now? Have you heard from them recently?"

"She's.... thirteen now I think? Hitting that awkward stage of puberty," Levy laughed at the thought. "They're doing all right, I think. I got a call from Bisca a couple days ago, thanking me for the cards and gift for Asuka."

"What did you get her?"

"A box of acrylic paints. And a big tub of white paint, it's always the one to run out," giggling, Levy raised a hand out to wave at MiraJane, who was passing by, and flagged her down so they could order. They ordered hot drinks, chatting with the beautiful bistro owner for a few minutes before she left to fulfil their orders.

They stayed there for quite a while, before exiting the bistro and walking down the high street. There weren't many people out in this weather, so they both noticed the lone figure standing outside of the Inkwell as they approached it. Levy recognised the man once they reached a few metres of him.

"Natsu?" she questioned in surprise. The two women came to a stop in front of the rosy-haired man, who jolted at their sudden appearance.

"Ah, Levy!" he grinned, waving a hand. "I don't suppose you've seen Gajeel, have you?"

"No sorry, I've been out with a friend." Levy explained, flicking her eyes to the blonde a step behind her. "Natsu, this is Lucy Heartfilia, Lucy this is-"

"Heartfilia?!" Natsu perked up suddenly, eyes widening. Lucy jumped in shock. "The Heartfilia? Author of The Fairies of Tenroujima? No way!" He bounced up and down on the spot, repeating 'no way no way' under his breath, staring unabashedly at the rapidly reddening blonde author.

After a moment, the blunette's thoughts flashed and it clicked why Natsu seemed familiar. "Ah!" she exclaimed, pointing. "You're the kid that's always the first in line for the early-release copies of Lucy's book series!" She couldn't believe she'd forgotten such a interesting person!

"Excuse you," Natsu sniffed, crossing his arms. "I am _twenty-one_ , for your information, not a kid."

"You act like one, though." Levy muttered. Sighing, she grinned to Lucy, who remained quiet. "As I was saying, this is Natsu Dragneel. He's at the same college as Gajeel, and in the same club."

"Hi!" Rushing forward, Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand with both of his and shook wildly, grinning and blushing at the same time. "I love you!"

Lucy blushed, eyes widening. "Eh?!"

"You're a fantastic writer, and a lot prettier in person!" Natsu kept grinning enthusiastically. "Do you think you can spare me some of your time in the future and go get coffee together some day? I have so many things to ask you!"

"Er, if they're about the books, then-" Lucy hesitated.

"No, silly, about you!" Natsu gave her a bland look. "I mean, everyone wants to know about things in the book. I want to know about the mind behind the story!" He grinned again, though this time he seemed a bit more sheepish. Behind him, Levy stood smirking at the blushing author.

"Um, well, let me think about it?" Lucy squeaked out. Natsu whooped in joy and hurriedly produced his phone from his pocket.

"Can I get your number, miss?" he winked cheekily.

Lucy smiled a little from that, and they swapped numbers pleasantly.

Levy didn't know it then, but she had inadvertently set up the world's future cutest couple without much thought about it. But it would be a good thing, she figured, if Natsu and Lucy got along well.


	9. Questions Asked

  
A few days after New Year's, Levy was pleased to see the Dragon Club appear in her shop again, with a few more new faces as well as a slightly disgruntled Gajeel. She hadn't seen him since their little Christmas episode, so naturally she assumed he was embarrassed.

"Yo, Levy!" Natsu grinned, waving enthusiastically. At his sides were Romeo and Wendy, followed by three new faces and a sulking Gajeel at the back.

"Good afternoon, Natsu." She smiled politely, nodding at the two younger students too. "Romeo, Wendy."

"We decided to have our club meeting here, if that's okay." Wendy grinned sheepishly, rubbing her neck.

"That's fine by me," with a grin, the blunette got up from her seat and led the way to a collection of tables at the very back of the shop, where she kept the books typically for studies and revision at for such purposes. Three round tables pushed haphazardly together later, and enough room for everyone was made.

"Right! So as Club President, let me introduce you to the rest of the lot!" Natsu beamed proudly.

He jabbed his finger at a reddish-haired boy, who looked like a typical punk with weird clothes, hairstyle and demeanor. "This dude's Cobra. Don't know his real name, but he's alright when he's not shifty as fuck and readin' your thoughts."

He pointed to the girl next to Cobra; who, with short purple hair, appeared to also be a punk, though she smiled at Levy and seemed much nicer. "That's Kinana, special guest in the club due to being Cobra's 'girl'." He used his fingers to quote the last part. He leaned in to whisper dramatically, "I think that means they're dating, but who knows?"

He pointed to the dark-haired guy at the edge of the group, who was stripping off his button-up shirt to a vest underneath.

"And that asshole is Gray."

Gray choked. "Really? At least introduce me in a nice way, dick."

"Ok; this is Gray, stripping-ice-princess-fuckboy-extrodinaire."

"Are you fucking with me, flame brain?"

"Nah thanks man, I'm straight."

"Quit it, asswipes, or I'm kickin' ya out right now." Gajeel growled from the back table, looking as menacing as possible.

Or, as much as he could, with Wendy doodling cats and silly faces on his arm. Either way, the pair of quarrelling boys came to a standstill.

"Someone's got their goddamn panties in a twist." Gray muttered to Natsu, suddenly buddy-buddy.

"S'cause he's tryin' to impress his ladyfriend," Natsu replied, not-so-subtly pointing at Levy herself.

Clearing her throat to ease the blush on her cheeks, she politely excused herself to go back to her desk, where somebody appeared to be waiting.

"Sorry for the wait," she apologised with a smile, taking the books and completing the transaction.

* * *

About half an hour later, she decided to drop by on the group again to see how things were going. As it was, it didn't seem like much was happening other than arguing.

"Um, is everything okay?" she inquired as loudly as she dared.

Natsu quickly shifted his feet off the table sheepishly and prodded Gray awake from where he slept.

"Sorry if we were making too much noise." Kinana spoke, and her quiet voice calmed Levy's nerves a little.

She smiled. "It's fine; my shop isn't a library after all. I was just wondering if anyone wanted some tea or some help with anything?"

Most had black tea; Kinana with milk and sugar, Cobra with none, and Gajeel with just milk. Wendy and Romeo had hot chocolates and Natsu and Gray had plain coffee. When she brought the drinks over, she found them arguing again.

"Let's tackle Geography first!" Romeo complained. "It's boring and there's two of us that need to study it," he gestured to Wendy, who ducked her head.

"Or we could do History so I can finally leave." Gray muttered. He lost his vest in the short time Levy was away, though she didn't say anything.

"I'm telling you, me and Cobra need to learn Genetics ASAP, we got our exam in a month!"

"Natsu, you know I'm not actually in your Genetics class right?"

"Drinks!" Levy interrupted cheerfully, wondering how to set the tray down. Gajeel moved to help her unload the drinks to the right person, and she could see that his ears were slightly red. Giggling, she rested the empty tray in both hands in front of her.

"So what's all the chatter about?"

"We have some tests and exams coming up," Wendy muttered. "And we were gonna study together... but.."

"We can't decide what to start on." Romeo finished.

"Kinana and I don't need to be here," Cobra scowled, "We're quite high up in all our classes, believe it or not."

"I can help, if you want; I graduated from Magnolia College too," she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Top of my year, might I add."

"Really? That'd be super!" Romeo cheered, making Wendy laugh. For a little while, the petite shop owner went over a schedule of what to help with for each person, and discussed what she knew well and could help out on.

"Well, you guys can come by tomorrow to start," Levy had a look at the clock on the wall, which read 6:50pm. "I've got to close up in a few minutes, unfortunately."

There were sighs of relief from Gray and Cobra, whilst Kinana hurriedly put her things away that'd she taken out and actually started to study whilst the others argued. After everyone was ready to go, Gajeel huffed out that he was gonna stay back to help Levy close up.

"Whatever you say," Natsu winked, leading the others out of the shop.

It was silent after that, so the blunette used the silence to gather the empty cups and take them to the back room for washing.

Once the cups were left to dry, she appeared in the main room again to see that Gajeel had already turned the sign to 'closed' and had moved the tables back to normal, as well as putting books back in place. A voice in her mind nagged that they probably weren't exactly where she wanted them, but she ignored it.

"Thanks for helping me," Levy smiled at the tall student as he made his way over. He said nothing, simply striding over silently, making Levy back up instinctively until her back hit her desk. Looking up to meet his eyes she found she wasn't afraid, though her heart hammered in her chest at the sight of the slightly nervous look in Gajeel's eyes.

"Can we.. talk?"

"Sure?" She wondered if it would be about what happened at Christmas.

The dark-haired teen went silent, thinking hard on whatever it was he wanted to say. Levy's heart continued to thump loudly.

"What do I do... to get you take me seriously?" Gajeel finally ground out, face flaming red.

"Er.. what?" Levy's brows furrowed a little. Flustered, Gajeel started to mumble.

"I-I know I'm nineteen and all but I've, yaknow, not been interested in stuff like girls or kissin' and the like... Yer really the only person I've felt all these mushy feelin's for and I know ya think being older than me is a big deal but I don't, and I really thought we got along and yaknow, I kinda went and kissed ya on Christmas and I was like shit I don't know what I'm doin', so I left 'cause I fucked up-"

"You didn't know what you were doing?" The blunette interrupted. Gajeel went impossibly redder and scowled.

"..first."

"First?"

"My first kiss, ok?!"

"Oh. Ooohhh." responded Levy lamely. Her eyes widened in surprise, she realised that maybe he took her happy laugh back then as mocking, and tried to correct her mistake. "I wasn't laughing-"

"Nah I know that now," scratching his head, Gajeel seemed to be pouting a little. "I just thought that you didn't really like it-"

"I did!" interrupting again, Levy blushed hard. Gajeel smirked a little. "Soo... we're okay?"

"Yeah."

"And you don't mind me being older?" Levy frowned. "Six years is a big difference in many cases. You still have a lot of years to explore the world and-"

"Shaddup, I know what I want," pouting more visably now, the taller man folded his arms stubbornly. Levy giggled at him, making him relax again.

"Can I be serious about you then?"

Levy nodded with a gentle smile.

"What if I fuck up? It's not like I know what I'm doin'."

"It doesn't matter." Chuckling, Levy grabbed the teen's hand in hers. "I'm not that expeirenced either, okay? We can take it slow."

Gajeel nodded. Then asked cheekily, "Does this mean I get to kiss you again?"

"Hmmn, maybe," Levy smirked. When Gajeel leaned in to kiss her, though, she put a finger to his lips. "First of all, you're gonna revise for your exams. If you do well, you can take me on a date, and then we'll see about kisses, how 'bout that?"

Winking, she moved her fingers to brush his cheek and give it a light pat.

Gajeel huffed and pouted some more, but didn't argue, which rewarded him with a little peck on the cheek.


	10. Questions Answered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the chapters from fanfiction.net. Any chapter after this will be brand new and not from the other website. Until everything gets sorted, this will be the only place where there should be updates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: it's been years since I've revised for tests/exams, any 'advise' Levy gives is probably inaccurate, don't take it seriously.

  
"Then here, you take the co-ordinates from the question and look for it in the map, and you can find out the town and country." Levy smiled, pointing from the mock papers in front of Romeo to the map between him and Wendy.

"So this first number is longitude?" Wendy made a note.

"Yep."

"Okay, I think that's all we need to know for this test." Romeo mumbled.

"It's fine, it's only high-school level geography. I'm surprised you're both taking it."

"Well we're technically still high-school students, we just have scholarships at college level and we could take those classes at college instead of high-school level. I'm doing sports and Wendy's is Biology, but we still have to do some normal classes."

Pushing up her glasses, Levy ruffled the boy's hair and made her way around the table where Gray was sat, shirtless again, nose deep in a textbook about aztecs.

"How much more do you need to study Gray?"

"Just this section," he sighed. "I seriously don't know how they come up with the material we need for the exams, I think they just pin topics to a dart board and pick them at random. Seriously, Aztecs, Romans and ancient Greece, how are they even related?"

"I can't answer that," Levy laughed. She left him to it. Looking around, she saw Wendy and Romeo working diligently, Cobra and Kinana talking quietly at the corner table, and surprisingly, Lucy helping Natsu out with his genetics. It was a surprise because Lucy wasn't that great at biology when the girls were at school, though Levy guessed it helps that she repeats all of Natsu's notes to him verbally for him to understand.

She left the students to it, heading up to her front desk to check her emails on the computer.

"Not gonna ask me for help?" She questioned the slumped figure next to her chair.

"I can do it."

"If you're sure." she shrugged, hiding a grin. Since she agreed to go on a date with him a few days ago, if he passed his exam, Gajeel has spent every free moment in her shop studying. She left him to it most of the time, though she did help him out once she closed the shop.

She passed the time, answering some emails and ordering in some books she was running low on stock for, then made everyone drinks while they took a break. An hour or so later, the students started to leave. She locked up behind them as Gajeel got up and stretched out his back.

"You could've sat with the others, you know."

"Nah, they would've distracted me."

"Sure."

As Gajeel moved his stuff to a table at the back, Levy switched the front lights off and turned the sign in the window to Closed.

They spent an extra hour going over Gajeel's notes and mock papers, and Levy learned a fair bit herself. For instance, Gajeel was doing Advanced Math, which was actually one of the classes Levy struggled with in college (she still got an overall A though). Gajeel was also good in Physics and sports, and did read on occasion; things like science-fiction and tales set in fantasy folklore kind of universes. They had a mutual love of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

At about 8:30pm, Levy's stomach started to rumble, signaling that it was way past her usual dinner hour. She got up from where she was slouched on her arms and stretched upwards.

"Wanna call it a night?" She asked, her voice taking an awkward tone from her weird position. Gajeel hardly registered it as he watched her long sleeved sweater rise up a little as she leaned back, a tiny sliver of skin above her high-waisted jeans being exposed.

As she leaned forward again, Gajeel managed a grunt and shut his textbook with a heavy thump. He packed up all his things and together they left the shop,

"I'm gonna walk you home," Gajeel announced briskly, pulling the edge of his scarf up to his nose in an attempt to hide his red cheeks. Levy grinned; it wasn't that dark out at this time of year in Magnolia, and despite it only being the end of January, not nearly as cold as Gajeel was pretending it was, so she was amused at his offer.

"Your exam's tomorrow, right?" Levy asked as they walked along. She didn't live too far away; just down the street away from the town centre, and then around a few corners. It was a well-lit, family populated suburban area that hardly had any trouble; if she had to guess she'd say Gajeel was the scariest looking person this area had seen in the last few months.

"Yeah," Gajeel sighed. "9am too, it had to be early."

"You'll be getting it over and done with though," smiling reassuredly, Levy bumped her arm against his as they walked. A moment later, a large hand grabbed her own, locking their fingers together. Surprised, but not removing her hand, she peered up at the taller figure.

Gajeel was nervously scratching the back of his neck, refusing to meet her eyes as the tips of his ears stained pink, clearly not from the cold.

"This..is alright ain't it?" he murmured, giving her hand a light squeeze.

Overwhelmingly delighted, Levy squeezed his hand back a little harder, though with her grip it was barely anything. She made a happy little noise as she curled her arm to entwine more with his as they walked.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a quaint semi-detached cottage that, despite looking exactly like the other houses, seemed distinctly like Levy.

It could be because the windows were lined with rows of books, who knows.

Levy let go of Gajeel's hand a little reluctantly, opening up her little garden gate and stepping inside of it. As it shut, she leaned forward on it to lean closer to Gajeel.

"Thank you," Levy murmured with a soft smile.

"S'alright." Gajeel shrugged. He stepped a little closer when Levy motioned to come forward, and with a light tug, she pulled him down for a swift peck on the lips.

"A good luck charm for your exam," she teased, then with a whirl and a quiet call of 'goodnight!', she was opening the door to her house and gone from sight, leaving Gajeel still leaning over her gate with a startled expression on his face.  
Internally, he was so happy he could have danced his way home.

Only internally though. Gajeel would never really dance home. That's what he tells others, anyway.

* * *

  
The following afternoon, Levy was finishing up some paperwork regarding Lucy's book signing tour when the door chimed open and shut. Looking up, she spotting Gajeel heading towards her with heavy feet and his head down. Nerves startled to tangle in her stomach as he approached.

"How'd it go?" her voice was barely audible, and she realised she was worried. What if he failed?

Gajeel stayed silent, trudging ever closer. He stepped around the desk until he stood in front of her, and suddenly his head was on her shoulder, and he sighed deep into her curly hair.

Levy's heart sank. He must've failed.

"Oh Gajeel," she mumbled, reaching up with the arm that wasn't held down with the weight of his head on its shoulder. She patted his shoulder and felt him start to shake.

"Gihi.."

Before she could question the noise Gajeel started laughing, and with a squeak she was lifted high into the air, strong arms supporting her back and thighs.

"I passed!" Gajeel grinned, twirling her around as she half-shrieked her disapproval of being picked up, and half-laughed away her worry.

Gajeel dropped her down a little so that they were face-to-face. He looked so pleased with himself Levy couldn't help but grin too.

"So you can do it if you try," she teased.

"Well, anything's possible with the right motivation," he shrugged, then smirked. "Speaking of which..." the arm holding up Levy's back disappeared for a second, but instead of falling, Levy was still completely supported by the arm holding her by her thighs. Levy started to go red as she realised her position and how close she was to him.

"Tadaaa~" Gajeel purred happily, producing a small envelope and waving it about.

"What's this?" Levy tried to reach for it, but Gajeel manouvered his arm out of her reach. She pouted.

"This," Gajeel waggled his pierced eyebrows, "was the motivation."

"Our date?" she guessed, a small smile tugged the corner of her mouth.

"Yep. Planned it the moment you told me you wanted to go on one." At this point, Levy thought he'd be embarrassed, but instead he looked rather proud of himself.

"You going to tell me what it is then?" Levy quirked a brow.

"Nope," popping the 'p', Gajeel set her back down, on the desk albeit. He sat in her chair himself, then pulled the chair to the desk so that he sat between her legs.

If Levy was blushing before, she was definitely red now.

"H-how am I supposed to dress accordingly then?" she stammered slightly.

"I'll let you know a bit then. It's a classic with a twist." he smirked.

"So similar to dinner and a movie, but not?" Levy mused.

"Correct."

"What's the twist though?"

"The twist," Gajeel rested his hands on her thighs, leaning forward and slightly upwards at her face, "is that it's with me. So it could either go terribly well, or terribly wrong. Probably the latter."

Levy couldn't help the snort of laughter then, and Gajeel followed suit with a chuckle of his own.

"Nah, I'm kidding," Gajeel grinned. He held up the envelope again. "Take a look."

Taking it from him, the bluenette contemplated whether or not to keep it a surprise. On the one hand, she wanted to not know until the last minute. On the other, she wants to know so that she can dress appropriately.

After a moment, she took a deep breath, and decided.

"You know what," she pushed the envelope back into his hands, "surprise me. I can wait."


	11. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I finally got around to finishing this chapter.  
> Enjoy their first date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter's a little sporadic from start to finish, sorry. Even though I had it all planned out, it took ages to write it down.

Levy may be panicking a little.

She had absolutely no idea what to wear for the date, and Gajeel was coming to pick her up soon. She was all clean and showered, her minimal makeup routine was complete - light eyeshadow and mascara, shiny lipgloss - and now she was stuck between two outfits she'd planned in advance.

The first was a silky red spaghetti strap dress with a scoop neckline, that flowed loosely to above her knees at the front, and sat a little lower at the back. Skin-coloured tights and black, over-the-knees socks finished the outfit, and she paired it with her black, cotton-lined blazer and wool-lined ankle boots with a small heel.

The second was a more practical outfit: high waisted, acid wash grey jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt with a deep V neckline to tuck into them, sturdy leather boots and her puffy, green plaid coat. 

She'd sent images of herself in both outfits to Lucy, and when the blonde didn't immediately reply, she hesitantly sent them to Gajeel, whose phone number she recently acquired. It was only reasonable, since she had no idea what the date would involve. 

Her phone beeped.

 

**Gajeel:**

**You're really gonna make me choose?**

 

**Levy:**

**I don't know! I want to dress appropriately, and you're the one who knows what we're doing on this date! :P**

 

**Gajeel:**

**Either are fine. You look gorgeous no matter what you wear.**

 

**Levy:**

**> ///<! **

**You can say that over text, but you wouldn't dare to my face! ^q^**

 

Blushing, Levy checked her other messages and thankfully Lucy had replied much more helpfully.

 

**Lu-chan:**

**The weather's quite nice tonight! No wind ^3^**

**It's the first date! Go all out and wear that sexy dress! Don't you dare wear tights with it! Just the knee-highs will be fine, you goof xxxx**

 

Sighing over her friend's antics, the petite woman got  dressed into the chosen outfit and styled her hair into a half-up hairdo, clipping a ribbon over the tie to hide it.

She finished in her room, grabbing a small handbag to put her purse and phone in, then ran around the house to make sure everything was turned off. She got to her front room just as the doorbell rang, making her squeak in surprise.

“Hey, you're early!” she exclaimed rapidly as she opened the door, taking a good look at the man on her doorstep.

She could only stare in awe. Gajeel was dressed so suave; in tight black jeans, a dark blue dress shirt, and a sleek black leather jacket with matching boots. His hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and his piercings were gleaming.

He was also holding a single red rose.

“For the star of the show,” he smirked, holding it out to her.

Levy’s skin flushed hot as she hesitantly took the rose from him.  _ Since when could Gajeel be so confident and romantic? _ She wondered to herself as she stammered out a thank you and hurriedly found a vase for the flower.

She pulled on her jacket as she stepped outside, just barely remembering to lock up. 

“Shall we?” Gajeel grinned devilishly, and Levy felt herself smile in response, so she wrapped her arms around his closest one and started to walk them down her garden path.

“Let's go, Mr Suave!”

Gajeel coughed hard at that, and it seemed that he lost his confident bravado. The bluenette didn't mind.

As it turns out, Gajeel didn’t have a car, so they walked into town and took the bus to the mystery date location. Levy didn’t mind at all; she was just reminded of the fact that Gajeel was still a teenager, and she felt like she was one herself again. It was nice.

She spent the trip guessing what their date might involve. She knew that this bus was heading to Hargeon Town, a relatively big seaside port with lots of tourist attractions and shops. About ten minutes later, Gajeel pushes the button to stop, and pulls her off the bus after him.

She felt that the area was familiar, but it was getting dark out already despite it being barely past 5pm, and so she couldn't tell.

He lead her leisurely, asking about how her week had been and her shop was doing, and he tactically kept her distracted until they reached a cosy-looking building with a warm glow radiating from the windows. The sign outside read “The Red Fox” and Levy laughed at the resemblance to Gajeel's surname. 

Inside was a cosy family-run restaurant, with ambient music playing softly and a roaring fireplace heating the whole room. Levy couldn't help herself, glancing at every little detail she could find. Traditional wooden beams in the ceiling, soft carpet and mahogany furniture, candles and soft lights giving the restaurant a friendly, quiet atmosphere.

A waiter checked off their reservation and lead them to their table; located not too close to the fireplace but close enough to feel comfortably warm and have a nice view of it.

“This is amazing, Gajeel, how did you find this place?” Levy marvelled, still a little in awe of how wonderful the place was.

“I used to work here part-time when I was in high school.” Gajeel shrugged off his jacket and hung it up across the back of his chair. Levy did the same with her blazer. “The chef gives me a little extra, portion-wise, whenever I come visit. Though I usually come here for lunch; this is the first time I’m here with a dinner date,” he finished quietly.

Levy smiled at the thought of a younger Gajeel working here. “Were you a waiter here then?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, I worked in the kitchen.” Gajeel scowled. “I tried bein’ a waiter, but my face scared people’s kids. So they put me in the back.”

Levy sputtered out a giggle. “I’m s-sorry,” she grinned. “But that’s just so funny to imagine.”

“I’m glad you find my scary face amusing.” the teen deadpanned, but followed up with a smirk.

“I wouldn't be here if I didn't like it,” Levy reminded him with a cheeky raise of her brow.

“Thank god you do,” murmured Gajeel in reply, smirk dipping into a blissful smile. Levy could feel her heart beat erratically at this; the fact that the young man opposite her was so obviously overjoyed with her company, with being here with him on this date that he spent so much time carefully planning. How had she managed to prompt such emotions in this young, unruly college student? Why her; why her bookshop, of all shops in Magnolia, did he chose hers to occupy that time? What qualities did she possess that first captured his attention? What about her interested him?

How come she was already enraptured by him, despite all of these questions?

“Your forehead will stay wrinkled like that if ya keep thinkin’ about whatever it is yer thinkin’ about.” 

Startled, Levy blinked her sight back into focus until the amused face opposite her became clear again.

“What were ya thinkin’ about?” Gajeel raised a brow.

“N-nothing..” Levy murmured, looking away with a fidget. Gajeel shrugged and didn’t reply as a waiter approached their table. The two men exchanged greetings in short chit chat, having been former co-workers when Gajeel was younger. They were given menus and after a few moments, ordered their drinks and meals. Gajeel ordered a large steak made in a certain way that was unique to the restaurant, he explained, and Levy had stuck with a safe pasta.

Their drinks arrived shortly, and a basket of soft rolls and butter were also placed on their table. Gajeel grabbed one immediately, cutting the warm roll in half and expertly buttering it. Encouraged by his behaviour, Levy did the same and took a bite.

“Ooh! This is so good,” she mumbled happily, a hand over her mouth as she spoke with a full mouth.

Gajeel grinned at her, mouth also too full to reply, but he nodded in agreement.

Their food arrived in no time at all, the relaxed atmosphere of the room and the pleasant conversation with Gajeel passing the minutes by quicker than she expected. Everything tasted as delicious as she expected, and the portion was just right; enough to be filling but light enough to leave room for dessert, which Gajeel had ordered for her in secret.

When it arrived, Levy was pleasantly surprised. Only one dessert was on the waiter’s tray, a large, square slice of lemon meringue, with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar.

“One ‘Couple’s Sweet Delight’ for the happy couple,” Gajeel’s friend teased as he set the dish in the middle of their table. “It only comes with one fork, so please enjoy feeding each other.” he adds with a small wink, before excusing himself.

“What’s this?” Levy marvelled, slightly embarrassed. Not as much as Gajeel though, apparently, if his reddened cheeks were anything to go by.

“Well, I knew you like sweet things, but I’ve never seen you eat much chocolate,” the boy informed her, avoiding eye contact but speaking honestly. “So I thought you might like it. The only problem is that it was only available in the couple’s dessert menu. It’s for you to have.”

Levy smiled bashfully. He really put so much thought into every little thing, didn’t he?

“Let’s share it,” she announced, causing him to glance across at her in surprise. “It was intended to share, after all.”

She took action, grabbing the fork and neatly cutting a corner off of the dessert, holding it out towards Gajeel for him to eat.

“Y-You know,” Gajeel stammered awkwardly. “I think these desserts were made for the other way around.” 

“Well, you can feed me the next bite,” Levy smirked, holding the fork even closer to him. Wordlessly, Gajeel dipped his head forward and put the fork into his mouth, teeth scraping the metal slightly. It was interesting to watch, Levy found. Especially with his lips lightly pulling the piece of lemon meringue pudding off of the fork. If those lips were against hers like that-

Gasping, she lost her grasp on the fork, leaving it suspended in Gajeel’s mouth for a second until he caught it quickly. His brows raised questioningly as she felt her face flush.

“Your turn,” he murmured, slicing off a little bit of the dessert for her to eat. 

She was aware that even though they’ve kissed a couple of times now, if she were to eat from that fork, it would be an indirect kiss, and that only seemed to encourage her embarrassment to grow. Nevertheless, she quickly and delicately took the offered bite, and quickly pulled back again to eat it properly.

This back-and-forth system continued for a duration of time, and she eventually calmed down enough to laugh and talk with Gajeel normally between bites. The mood between them had warmed up, and she felt calm and natural with him again, even going as far as to dollop a smidge of cream from the meringue on his nose, using the fork as a means of reach. She laughed heartily, and Gajeel couldn’t stay mad at her for long.

They finished the dessert in a few more bites, and after Gajeel paid the bill - much to the worried protests of Levy - they left the restaurant and headed into town with linked arms. The weather had gotten a little chillier, but there was little wind to bother them and they didn’t really mind it.

When they reached the centre of Hargeon, Gajeel led them up the main street and towards the town’s giant library. Levy was slowly putting the pieces together as they passed more groups of excited teens and energetic children with their parents and just as it clicked, they arrived. 

“An ice rink!” she exclaimed happily, giving a little jump in her boots. The rink was huge, rectangular in shape with rounded corners, and there were several festival-style booths with different activities and venues in the surrounding area.

“Yeah, ya like?” Gajeel glanced at her, a little unsure. 

“Yes! God, I haven’t gone ice skating in years!” she began to pull Gajeel towards the booth for changing shoes. “Come on, come on come on!”

“Gihi, alright Shorty, calm down. The ice ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

Gajeel paid for their shoes, and due to the business of the rink, the organiser explained that they could have about an hour on the rink, depending on how many people stay on it during that time frame. They got changed, locked away their normal shoes, then awkwardly shuffled to the gate to get onto the ice.

With an unsteady step, Levy hesitantly pushed onto the ice, and muscle memory took over from there, moving her along the wall to allow for Gajeel to get on. 

Well, she thought that would be the case, however Gajeel took one sweeping step along the wall in order to get out of the way, then stayed put.

“I forgot…” he muttered, “I’m not good on skates…”

Levy laughed hard at that, amused enough not to hide her grin. “Shall I leave you to gather your bearings for a moment?”

“Sure, sure, go for it.”

With a twirl, she turned around and skated away, the memory of how to skate coming back to her with each step. When she came full circle, Gajeel was still leaning against the wall, but seemed to have gained some sense of balance and was moving along slowly. 

“Want some help?” she grinned, holding her hand out as an offer. 

Grumbling, Gajeel took it, though he didn't look too upset about the help. She tugged him along with her around the circumference of the ice rink, and the two of them took their time so that Gajeel didn't lose his balance, and because he'd definitely pull Levy down with him if he fell.

They eventually built up a decent speed going around the rink, and Levy let go of Gajeel's hand once or twice to skate ahead of him and do a few spins, the hem of her dress lifting slightly with the momentum and creating a fun swishy feeling she forgot that she liked. Gajeel didn’t mind sliding along and watching her have fun either. 

She skated around him a couple times, then danced around in front of him and skated backwards with a smug grin. It may have been years since she’d skated, but the thrill of it seemed to awaken her memory.

The hour flies by quickly, during which Gajeel seemed to have gained enough confidence on the ice to go at a decently fast pace with Levy clutching his arm, squealing in surprise when they go around to corners of the ring at an alarming rate. He even held his arm up for Levy to twirl around under, like professionals in competitions do. Whenever their eyes met, Gajeel would grin and glance away again, like he was a little embarrassed. 

Eventually they come to a stop at the gate and exit, making an even wobblier cross on the steady ground beneath them than the first time, now that they’d become adjusted to the ice. They put on their normal shoes and handed the skates back to the workers running the rink, and with joined hands the teen led her along the gathered tents, where a small group or people were selling hot drinks. 

“I’m going to get this!” Levy insisted, reaching into her handbag as they stood in line.

“Nope,” Gajeel quickly snatched her hand away from her bag, zipped it up, and firmly held her hands to stop her from using them. “I’m payin’.”

“Gajeeeeellll,” she whined.

“Shaddup, I said I planned this whole thing right? Let me treat ya,” Gajeel huffed back at her with a slight scowl. He let go of one of her hands to ruffle her hair as she pouted, resulting in her making a surprised and complaining noise. 

“I want marshmallows in my hot chocolate now,” she pinched his side in retaliation, causing him to jerk slightly and laugh. 

“Sure Shorty, hot chocolate with marshmallows, comin’ right up.” 

It was a couple more minutes before they were able to order, but they reached the front of the line at around half past eight, and after a moment they both walked away from the booth with hot chocolates with marshmallows.

“So you like marshmallows too?” Levy grinned around her cup.

“What? Do I not look like the type?” Gajeel smirked jokingly.

“I dunno. You never really eat when you’re in my shop so I can’t tell if you like sweet things or not.” Levy pointed out reasonably.

“Ahh, fair enough. Well, I’m a bit like you I guess, I don’t eat a lot of chocolate but I eat sweet things like marshmallows and cookies… a lot of cookies, actually.” he admitted lightly, taking a couple small sips from his hot drink. “I practically live on them during classes.” 

“Oooh really? What kinds, like chocolate chip?” 

“Yeah, just those regular ones from the shop. Sometimes I get the double or triple chocolate cookies, you know, to be a rebel.”

“Oh,  _ definitely _ badass.”

“Of course.” 

They’re walking back towards the bus station now, their free hands entwined and the air around them silent apart from the sounds of plastic cups meeting lips as they drank their hot chocolates, both content with the quiet.

A bus back to Magnolia arrives at quarter to the hour, and they slip on with their return tickets and get seats roughly in the middle of the bus, with Levy sitting in the window seat. The drinks take up most of their attention, both eager to finish them while they were still warm. When it gets to Levy’s stop, Gajeel dings the bell for them and together they get off the bus and into the chilly atmosphere. Their hands find each other for the umpteenth time that night, and Levy’s thoughts swirl in her mind with how their date went.

She really liked Gajeel, she realised. She liked his humour and the way he teased her lightly, enough to irk her in an amusing way but not in a too-annoying way. She was attracted to his appearance; she dated very few people in her life but they were all polar opposites to Gajeel in both appearance and, in some ways, in personality, though she always admired the more ‘wild’ type - her one attempt at wildness lead her to now sport blue hair, after all. He was genuine and thorough in things that interested him - which, so far, seemed to be cats, his club, and plans. If he had a plan, he stuck to it and made sure every little thing was well thought out. He took care of things under his supervision, like his cat. Lily was probably the most spoilt and loved kitten she’d ever seen, and after the initial surprise, the blunette thought the Gajeel definitely suited the ‘catmama’ persona.

She also like the way he kept his long hair tidy and well-styled, the subtle build of his muscles, the way her smaller hands fit in his larger ones. His odd laugh, his piercings, and new information of his love of cookies. 

Most of all, she liked how adored she felt whenever he looked at her like she held the whole world in her eyes. 

She wasn’t an insecure woman, she knew her strengths and flaws well, but she never before physically  _ felt _ another person’s feelings towards her like this. She knew her brothers loved her, she knew Lucy loved her like a sister, and her previous relationships had always insisted they loved her (even if it ended up not being the case) - but it was never as palpable as this; her entire body warmed up with each tender gaze the younger man gave her.

 

Other hand freed from holding her empty cup thanks to a nearby rubbish bin, Levy swung around and curled her arms around Gajeel’s middle. The guy in question stiffened up in surprise.

“Shorty?!”

“Shhh, it’s just a hug.”

She shuffled her arms a bit, eventually digging them under Gajeel’s coat and her hands lightly grabbed at the warmth of his shirt against his broad back. Gajeel’s arms came to rest against her back and shoulder, and she could feel the shuddering hum that rattled in his chest when he breathed. 

She squeezed lightly for a moment, then drew back slowly so that she could look up at him. He looked a little tense, most likely from nerves, but she could still feel affection rolling from him in waves, like an open book. She smiled at him, slowly and sweetly.

“Thank you.” 

She didn’t specify what for, the hug or the date, but he simply nodded in return, and she turned back again and they continued walking back to her house.

They reached it in no time. Levy was reluctant to have her evening end so soon, but the weather was getting colder by the minute and she really wanted to curl in bed with a book and fluffy pajamas. 

“Did you.. have a good time?” Gajeel asks before she could unlock her gate. She blinked up at him in surprise.

“Of course! It was great fun,” she grinned happily. “Did you?”

“Yeah.” Gajeel scratched at his neck. “I had beautiful company with me all night.”

Levy gaped a little in surprise, before she let out a chuckle. 

“Gajeel, you say the cutest things sometimes.”

“Ah, shaddup..” 

“Come’ere!” 

She pulled on his coat, and in a flash she was in another embrace with him, snug tight against his chest and squeezing his torso fiercely. She was sure her face was as red as her dress, but she didn’t mind. His arms were around her a lot more firmer than previously, and she noticed that one his hands brushed through her hair softly, whilst the other held her close against him. 

“Thank you, so much.” Levy mumbled against his shirt, unsure if she’d be heard.

“I should be thanking you, Shortstuff.” Gajeel replied equally quietly. “I’m the lucky one for having a chance to be on a date with you.” 

“I’d say we’re both lucky people then,” Levy smirked up at him, and he laughed in return. Their eyes met for a brief moment, before the blunette’s eyes wandered to his lips as she nibbled on her own.

“Soo.. I believe you’ve met all the criteria I gave you to get permission..” she murmured, eyes flickering back to meet his.

He looked confused for a moment. Then a smirk spread across his face, though to her it was more of a boyish grin.

“Ya sure?”

“Mhmm.”

They met in the middle, surprisingly gentle despite the fact that Levy had pushed up on her toes quickly and Gajeel dipped his face down to meet her in a split moment, but his lips were warm against hers and every time one of them pulled back for even a moment, the other followed them quickly for another kiss. The teen’s hand that played with her hair moved to cup the junction where her jaw met her neck, stroking the skin under her ear with his thumb and causing a string of goosebumps to rise up underneath. Her hands tightened their hold on his shirt, using the grip as a way of balance and leverage. The kisses stay innocent; for the most part; light and delicate yet bruising to their senses: a flurry of thoughts and sensations in each one. The butterflies in her stomach surprised her, since it’d been a long time since she felt such innocent eagerness and passion.

Her legs twinged a little and she dropped from her tip toes. It broke their kisses suddenly, both surprised at the movement, but after a few moments of silly giggles, Gajeel leaned in to kiss her forehead instead.

“You’re gonna catch a cold if ya stay out here any longer,” he fretted, turning her around by her shoulders and marching her through her gate and up to her door despite her protests that she could walk by herself.

“Fine, fine! I’ll go inside.” she laughed, searching for her keys in her bag. She stuck them into the door, but before she could unlock it, two large hands grabbed her cheeks and she was pulled into another kiss.

This kiss had a lot more strength to it, a wave of passion that was built up in the moment, and Levy would have lost her balance were Gajeel not holding onto her. A hand hesitantly made its way to rest on his collarbone, lithe fingers gently brushing against his neck, and Levy grinned as she noticed Gajeel shudder a little at the touch.

He pulled away after a moment, bumping foreheads with her as he paused to catch his breath. His ears were a lovely shade of red, and his cheeks were starting to match, though she did suspect the weather had something to do with it, too. 

“I really like you, Gajeel.” she murmured, a little shy of herself since she realised the depth of her attraction to her date.

“I really like you too, Levy.” Gajeel replied equally quietly, surprisingly serious. He kissed her forehead again. “I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“Okay, have a safe trip home.”

“Don’t ya worry. G’night Shorty.”

“Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will also be updating this to my FF.net account now that most of the virus websites have been taken down. There is still one website active that I know of, but after all the stress it caused me I really couldn't care less anymore.
> 
> Please let me know what you think!!


	12. Official?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levy and Gajeel have different definitions of 'dating' + bros being bros

Levy was in a daze. On cloud nine. 

She floated around her shop, chatting happily to everyone she came across. Leftover Valentines decorations were still hung up in corners, though she continued to ignore them. She’d closed the shop on that morning, and Gajeel had come over as per her request. She made him a huge assortment of cookies and cupcakes, probably enough to last him the remainder of February. He returned the romantic gesture by arriving with a bouquet of red roses, and a miniscule black cat plush toy that resembled his beloved Lily. She couldn’t close for the entire day, unfortunately, and Gajeel had classes in the afternoon anyway, so the pair had shared a quick and unhealthy breakfast of cupcakes and kisses, before returning back to their regular schedules.

In the last month or so, Gajeel and several members of the Dragon Club had found her on her social media account, Facebook. Even Lucy had a friend request from the ever persistent Natsu. Now Levy could see all the shenanigans the group got up to in their little corner of the college library, and it pleased her to no end when a new image of Gajeel popped up, messing about with his friends.

Of course, it wasn’t all one-sided. Levy was often tagged in things too. People who regularly visited her shop often found her on Facebook, and would tag her in their status updates and photos of their latest books, often adding a review of the book and shop itself, all positive of course. There was an occasional photo of herself popping up too; thanks to Lucy or MiraJane. Cana attempted to take her photo once before when she’d visited the brunette’s bar, but thankfully that was hidden.

She was clearing away some empty cups from a table when she turned and almost knocked into someone, who thankfully managed to steady her before she dropped anything.

“Ah! Oh my gosh, I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, startled.

The young teenager before her didn’t smile nor frown, just shrugged.  “It’s as much my fault as yours, I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. Do you need some help?” he added politely.

“Ah, no, thank you though.” She grinned back sheepishly, then made her way behind the counter and into the back room to wash up. The teen had messy dark hair, covering one eye. He looked familiar, but Levy couldn’t place it. He had red eyes, too, but she wasn’t sure if that was the fashion with young teens nowadays or if it was natural. 

She wanted to say he looked like Gajeel, but maybe that's too far. Lots of people had dark hair after all.

She returned into the main room as the teenager approached the counter, a book in hand. As she took the hardback from him, Stephen King’s  _ Cujo _ , she asked him the usual question, for rent or for purchase.

It seemed to surprise him, but he replied quickly. “Purchase, please.”

She rang it up, scanned the book’s barcode, and opened up the till. “That’ll be five pounds and eighty-four pence please.”

To her delight, the customer had the exact change in his wallet, something that always pleased Levy for some reason. She liked exact change; she didn’t know why. As she closed the till and handed over the receipt, the teen brushed her fingers slightly with his own for a moment, pausing.

“It’s was nice to meet you, Miss Levy,” he murmured, almost a little awkwardly. He took the receipt and book and quickly left, leaving Levy curious about where he learned her name.

 

* * *

 

She saw him a couple more times, passing by the shop or stopping in to look around; and now again a couple weeks later, with a blonde friend walking beside him. 

Levy was reclined in her swivel chair at the counter, a purring Pantherlily in her lap. Gajeel was slumped against the desk drawers at her feet, reading a book on engine parts for one of his classes. 

The two young teenagers crossed the street, the blonde pushing the darker-haired boy in the arm playfully, and they entered the shop.

“Afternoon M’lady!” the blonde called playfully in a stiff fake accent.

Levy grinned. “Afternoon my good sirs. Welcome to my humble abode.”

Gajeel’s eyes flickered away from his book briefly, and at her reassuring smile he relaxed again.

The teen laughed happily and dragged his friend around with him into the shelving.

 

There was a few minutes of peace, with laughter and loud talking occasionally drifting over, before Levy noticed their return, the blonde carrying manga and the black haired teen carrying another Stephen King. She sat up, careful not to disturb Lily.

At his protesting  _ meow _ , the teen’s eyes flickered with recognition briefly.

“Oh, a cat!” the blonde beamed, leaning forward to rub fingers at the kitten. Lily, in slight interest, jumped from her lap and onto the desk. “What’s its name?”

“Pantherlily,” she giggled. The other teen’s eyes widened a fraction again. “Strange name, right?”

“Oi, it’s a great name.” Muttered Gajeel, startling the two younger teens. The blonde leaned further over the desk and spotted Gajeel.

“Oh shit! Rogue, your bro’s like, right there!” He glanced up at Levy again. “So that must mean you’re Levy McGarden!”

“Yes?” she blinked in confusion.

Gajeel sighed, not even looking up from his book. “The blonde Natsu-like guy is Sting, and I’m gonna guess Raios is with him.”

“Oh! As in your brother?” Levy glanced between the two of them. So it wasn’t a coincidence. 

“Yeah these two are bros! I call him Rogue though,” he gestures with a thumb over his shoulder to the other teen. “Cause if I’m not with him he wanders around by himself, like a rogue. I’m Sting by the way!”

“How kind of you to always keep me company,” Raios deadpanned monotonously in reply.

“Yeah, well you were the who wanted to check up on your bro’s girlfriend and didn’t want to go alone every time!” Sting snapped in return, surprising Levy, Raios and Gajeel at once.

“You idiot.” Raios muttered.

“What the hell,” Gajeel muttered, standing up. “You’ve been stalkin’ Levy? What the fuck, dude.”

“I wasn’t stalking her!” Raios protested, looking a little scared. “I came by a couple weeks ago and bought a book. And Sting and I walk past here to go to the skatepark.”

“You were checkin’ up on my private business.” Gajeel stated matter-of-factly. Under his intense stare, Raios seemed to wilt and gave a little nod.

“S’not his fault!” Sting butted in. “You always go on about her but you never actually  _ tell _ us about her! We wanted to know what kind of person she was.” he crossed his arms defiantly.

“It’s nothin’ to do with you! I was gonna introduce her when I was ready!”

“Um, hello? Person in question sitting right here.”

Levy was met with three slightly guilty looks.

“I’m fine you guys wanting to meet me. It’s not like I have anything to hide.” She glanced at Gajeel. “And be nice to your brother! You’re scaring him over something so inconsequential as meeting your girlfriend?”

Gajeel seemed to flush at that at looked away.

“I.. uh..” he muttered. “I was gonna wait until we were official.. So uh.. I wasn’t aware we were ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ yet.. Uh..” he scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck, refusing to meet any of their eyes.

At his brother’s blushing face, Raios seemed just as flustered, as if he’d never seem him that way before. Sting looked gobsmacked. He perked up and grabbed the book from Raios’ hand.

“WELL THEN, UH, WE GOTTA GO, BUT UH - RESERVE THESE BOOKS FOR US PLEASE AND WE’LL COME BACK A DIFFERENT DAY OKAY SEE YOU BYE!”

He slammed them down on the counter and quickly pulled Raios with him out of the shop, waving and giving a thumbs up at the remaining pair enthusiastically.

 

There was a few moments of silence, a little awkwardly hanging in the air between them, before Levy let out a breathy little laugh.

“So… that was interesting.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, your brother seems to care about you a lot.”

“Well, I did look after him a lot when we were younger. He’s only just gone 15. Sting is still 14, even if he doesn’t look or act it.”

“He’s a mini Natsu, like you said.”

“Yeah.”

“So uh, the ‘official’ thing you were saying?”

“Ah,” Gajeel grumbled, nibbling his lip. “I uh… thought we were still just ‘dating’.”

“I mean, yeah I guess you’re right?” Levy shrugged, “but you’re not ‘dating’ me for the first time, since we’ve had a few dates already now. So I would say that it would be called ‘taking your girlfriend on dates’ kind of dating now.”

“So does this mean we  _ are _ boyfriend and girlfriend?” Gajeel asked quietly, a bit timidly for his stature.

Levy smiled up at him from her seat. “If you want?” she shrugged innocently, teasingly. He was so fun to mess with when he was all nervous and cute like this.

“Hell yeah, because that means I can do this,” he swooped down at her, hands on either armrest, and kissed her full on the mouth, which produced a small squeak from her. He pulled back with a smirk, “whenever I want.”

Levy’s brain flusteredly saved that moment to memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is just a small thing. But I hope you like it.


	13. Milestone

The first time the Dragon Club discovered their relationship, Levy thought her ears had burst a little.

It was a simple touch that gave them away, she was sure of it. She'd simply rested a hand against his shoulder as she approached their table, asking if anyone wanted drinks or any help studying. He'd glanced up at her with a quirk of a grin, which faded quickly into his usual scowl when Natsu began to holler at them.

"No way! Are you two official now?!" he grinned cheekily, and at Levy's flushing cheeks Wendy began to squeal and Romeo joined her, and Gajeel began to curse vividly at the older student opposite him. Gray somehow got involved too, and Cobra and Kinana ended up leaving amongst the chaos, stating that the noise was too much for their sensitive ears. The racket calmed down after a few moments, and eventually Levy managed to escape to her front desk again.

That evening, Natsu and the group insisted that they all ought to go out and celebrate "Gajeel's first girlfriend!" with some karaoke and snacks, and to invite Lucy along too, he;d added with a cheeky grin and wiggling eyebrows.

She did discuss it with Gajeel, to find out if he was okay with such a ridiculous party idea, but he shrugged it off, saying there wasn't much he could do if the club president made up his mind. With that, she took it as an okay to invite Lucy too, texting the blonde several winky faces along with Natsu's invitation. She got a response in all capital letters at that and the denial of anything possibly happening between the pair of them, which made the small woman laugh loudly.

The details had been arranged and formed over the next few days. They booked a small booth in an entertainment centre, so that they could go bowling and play arcade games as well as sing karaoke, and Levy agreed to bring a small cake from Erza's bakery. The party would take place on a Sunday, which was the only day Levy could afford to close The Inkwell on, as she was only open for 4 hours during the day anyway, and she could put a notice in the window in advance.

Gajeel walked her home that Saturday evening, the wind still pretty cold for mid-March, and the pair of them still wore scarves around their necks and tucked them into long, warm coats, though they stubbornly held hands too despite the wind. Levy eventually managed to sneak their clasped hands into Gajeel's giant coat pocket, which made them feel a little warmer.

As they walked through her little garden gate and approached her front door, Levy felt Gajeel come to a stop next to her.

"Gajeel?"

"Mn, one second," he let go of her hand momentarily, using both to dig through his shoulder bag for something in the dark. Tactfully, Levy quickly found the flashlight app on her phone and lit up his bag in time for him to pull out a small square box with an 'aha'.

"Here, for you Shorty," he held it out towards her simply, tucking his nose into his scarf in embarrassment as she gaped up at him.

"W-what's this for?" she stammered, taking the box gently from his larger hand. It was small, roughly the size of her palm, and quite flat.

"It's been… um. It's uh, on the 19th of February you said that we were officially going out, so uh.. It's been one month since then?" he said with a question in his voice, his eyes kept trained on his boots. "It's a.. um, one month anniversary gift."

She blushed hard at that, and tried even harder not to giggle or hide her face. He was just too adorable to handle. One month anniversary? She couldn't even remember if she'd ever celebrated such a small event in any of her past relationships. But then again, this was Gajeel's first time being in a relationship with someone, and it was likely that he felt it was significant. And honestly, it mattered to her too, if the way her heart thumped hard against her ribs as she turned the small box over in her hands.

"Gajeel… you shouldn't have," she murmured, glancing up at him through her lashes. "I didn't get you anything in return."

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged simply. "I wasn't sure if you celebrated things like monthly-milestones.. Or whatever. I just…. Wanted to get you something."

She ducked her head a little at that, biting her lip as she fought a grin. "Can I open it now?"

"Sure."

Handing her phone to Gajeel to light up her hands, she began to unwrap it. Her fingertips were a little red from the cold, but she managed to pop the little lid of the box and reveal the beautiful pair of earrings inside. They were cute red fox faces, made of simple red and white acrylic and silver backing, and had little red tails dangling from the back pieces.

"Red foxes!" she giggled, in awe of the simple and sweet design. "These are amazing Gajeel, where did you find them?"

"Secret," the tall teenager stuck his tongue out childishly as she gave his arm a light shove.

"Seriously, Gajeel, thank you so much," she used the hand that was still pulling back from his arm to grab him again, this time pulling him in for a soft kiss on the lips. She drew back with a small smile, then focused back on the earrings with a pout. "I'm really sad that I don't have anything to give to you…." her eyes widened a little, like she had an idea, then she shook her head.

"What?" he muttered, curious.

"Umm, nevermind," she grinned up at him, "maybe a different day for that thought. How about you come in for some hot chocolate instead? Maybe warm you up before you walk home?"

Gajeel smiled back, tucking that momentary pause into his mind for later, and instead leaned down to kiss his petite girlfriend. "Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say THANK YOU.
> 
> I don't know how much longer this fic will go, tbh. I'm hoping to get it to 20 chapters? At the very least 15. But honestly the Fairy Tail fandom has kind of lost its spark with me, even though the Gajevy burns strongly in my soul (especially thanks to certain scenes in the recent manga arc). This is the only Fairy Tail fic I'm interested in writing right now, and even then I've kind of been forcing it.
> 
> I want to keep going, I really do, but there's very little motivation, I've been relying on the reviews you've all left to keep me going. Every one of your comments made me want to continue this fic, and I promise I will. It'll be slow but I'll try!
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me. Your comments/reviews are GREATLY appreciated.


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